UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera preview

This weekend the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) travels across the pond to London, England for its 105th pay-per-view quality event and although it does have the number to its title, UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera will actually be televised via tape delay on Spike at 5 pm PST.

The most attractive aspect of this card besides perhaps Randy Couture, 46, returning to the light heavyweight division, is the overall depth of the card and competitiveness of the three featured bouts.

Those three fights of course are the main event between Couture (16-10) and Brandon Vera, 32, who will be looking to continue his climb up the ladder of the 205 lb division. That climb is certainly a steep one as it is the UFC's deepest division, yet with a win over the ageless wonder, Vera (11-3) will have cemented his status as a top five light heavyweight and a force to be reckoned with.

The other two fights feature a welterweight number one contender match between Mike Swick (14-2) and Dan Hardy (22-6, 1 NC) with the winner projected to fight champion Georges St.-Pierre in early 2010 and a middleweight matchup between Michael Bisping (18-2) and Denis Kang (32-11-1).

Rounding out the televised portion of the card are Matt Brown (12-7) and Aaron Riley (28-11-1)who will take on James Wilks (7-2) and Ross Pearson (11-3) respectively as they each look to continue their rise in their respective divisions (welterweight and lightweight).

Again the great thing about this card is how competitive these fights these top three fights will be. In fact, other than the London native Hardy, all are listed as favorites in the betting lines. Hardy is just a slight underdog to Swick.

The other great thing about these fights is they all have major implications not only to their respective divisions but to each fighter's title aspirations. Bisping will be looking to bounce back after his first ever KO at the hands of Dan Henderson while Kang wants to get his first UFC win. Then there's Couture and Vera, both looking to climb into the top 5 in the 205 lb division. And we already know what's at stake for Swick and Hardy -- a match with St.-Pierre only the best welterweight in the sport and arguably the best fighter overall.

If it sounds like I'm excited for Saturday to come, it's because I am. Who do I like? Well, I'm glad you asked. I'll take Vera by unanimous decision, Kang by split decision and Swick by 2nd round TKO. In the other fights I like Brown and Riley.

Hope you all enjoy the fights.

Paul "Semtex" Daley fills in for injured Mike Swick at UFC 103

According to reports first published by The Sun, UFC welterweight newcomer, Paul "Semtex" Daley, 26, will fill in for injured Mike Swick against fellow welterweight contender Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 on September 19th, in Dallas, TX.

Swick, 30, recently suffered a minor concussion in training and apparently will be unable to compete in two weeks against Kampmann, 26. The injury comes as a disappointment to fans and MMA analysts alike who had been anticipating the No. 1 contender showdown in the welterweight division as I'm sure it does to the entire Swick camp.

The winner was set to face Welterweight Champion and renowned No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the World, Georges St.-Pierre for the title. With so much on the line, it sure comes as a shock that a mere minor concussion is going to sideline Swick.

It is a disappointment, no doubt, but the show must go on as they say. Kampmann (15-2) will now face Daley and there is currently no word yet on whether a win for Daley will mean a title shot as well.

Rising British star, Daley will be making his UFC debut at 103. He previously fought in EliteXC before coming over to the UFC after the promotion folded. He had been scheduled to fight Brian Foster and there is no word yet on Foster's future opponent for the event.

Swick confirmed the news of his injury on his Twitter account. "I got foot swept while sparring this week and lost my legs.

"I landed on back of my head and neck and suffered a pretty bad concussion. I am out of UFC 103. It sucks and I am sorry guys..."

This news is terrible for Swick. He had a real legitimate shot at beating Kampmann and thus propel himself into a title fight with the dominant GSP and into the limelight. Now he's injured and forced to watch another fighter given the opportunity that he had from the sidelines. A Daley/Kampmann showdown looks a lot like the Kampmann/McFedries bout that took place in way back at UFC 68. Despite the amount of time between the fights, McFedries and Daley present a very similar skill set as well as challenges for the "Hit Man". Will Kampmann still be granted a title shot with a win over Daley? Or will Daley pull off the upset and earn himself a shot at GSP? Will GSP be sitting for longer than the UFC wants? We shall find out soon.